COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN PHONOPHORESIS AND ULTRASOUND IN THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DERMATOLOGICAL DISEASES

Abstract

Ultrasonic waves are a form of acoustic vibrations occurring at frequencies too high to be perceived by the human ear. They have the same properties of sound waves e.g. reflection and rarefaction (Lehman, 1957). U.S. alone may have some therapeutic effect in skin disease. Phonophoresis is the use of ultrasound to enhance the delivery of

topically applied drugs through the skin (Byl, 1995).

The exact mechanism of drug delivery in phonophoresis is debatable; however, recent review of literature suggests it may occur through thermal, chemical and/or mechanical alteration of the skin (Kassan et al, 1996).